Synth sounds thin? Turn up unison

Turn up unison on your synth. Unison plays several copies of each note, each a tiny bit out of tune and spread across the stereo field. The copies drift against each other, which makes the sound thick, moving and wide. Most synths (Serum, Vital, Sylenth, stock synths) have a unison or voices setting with detune and spread.

How to do it

1. Find the unison or voices setting on your synth's oscillator and set it to 5 to 7.
2. Turn up detune slowly until it sounds thick but not out of tune.
3. Turn up stereo spread or width.
4. Turn the volume down to match: more voices also means louder.
5. Keep bass and sub sounds at one voice, or use unison only on a higher layer.

Why it works

One voice is a single, steady wave. Detuned copies beat against each other and land differently left and right, which your ear hears as a big, wide sound. Down low that same beating makes the bass weak and muddy, so keep it mono there.